CEDIA Expo Coverage – Day 2

DENVER – Day two of the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) Expo was marked by the opening of the main show floor where companies of all sizes greeted attendees with a myriad of products and services that encompassed practically every aspect of residential and commercial electronics integration. If a product can be plugged in, programmed, calibrated, mounted, or crafted on the spot, chances are it is somewhere inside the Colorado Convention Center. I found CEDIA Expo to be an inspiring scene of information exchange and a great place to check out some of the latest home theater gear.

SamsungSamsung’s booth at CEDIA was a showcase of impressive video products, but two new yet rather unassuming items caught my attention. The DTB-H260F Digital HDTV Receiver ($179 MSRP) is a pint-sized set-top terrestrial digital tuner (ATSC) that also supports unencrypted QAM (digital cable) reception. The DTB-H260F includes a comfortable remote control and features HDMI, component, and composite video outputs as well as an optical digital audio output. If your current TV lacks a digital tuner for over-the-air reception, the DTB-H260F may be an upgrade worth considering. The DTB-H260F will be available late October.

The Samsung DAB-OC10 Optical HD Connector ($349 MSRP) isn’t the first device that converts an HDMI signal into light pulses for long-distance transport via fiber optic cable, but such devices can offer significant savings over the use of high-quality wire runs. The DAB-OC10 kit includes a pair of diminutive converters as well as two HDMI cables that connect to the video source and display device. A 30-meter spool of fiber optic cable is included for completing the link between the converters. With fiber optic runs up to 400-meters possible, cost savings and the tiny size of the optical cable are two immediate benefits over wire runs. The DAB-OC10 will be available late 2006.

Algolith Algolith is a Montréal-based company that develops high-quality video enhancement solutions that are praised by videophiles worldwide. Effective video processing hardware isn’t cheap, but I’m always on the lookout for a product that helps correct common image artifacts without costing more than the average HDTV. Algolith’s Flea HDMI Digital Video Enhancer ($995 MSRP) contains the same video processing hardware featured in the company’s feature-rich Mosquito processor, but the Flea HDMI’s tiny size leaves room for only a pair of HDMI inputs as well as an HDMI output—the original Flea is a component video device.

The Flea HDMI stirred my interest for its purported ability to minimize compressed video artifacts that are common in digital cable and satellite HDTV—digital compression artifacts become increasingly noticeable as screen size and resolution increases. The Flea also incorporates video noise reduction and detail enhancement functions. The Flea HDMI is scheduled to ship later this month (September 2006). Continued…

This site may earn affiliate commissions from the links on this page. Terms of use.

ExtremeTech Newsletter

Subscribe Today to get the latest ExtremeTech news delivered right to your inbox.

Email

This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our
Terms of Use and
Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time.